Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory disorders of the digestive tract that are characterized by abdominal pain, weight loss, malaise, and diarrhea. Although UC affects only the superficial lining of the colon and is continuous from the rectum proximally (toward the beginning of the colon), inflammation in CD can penetrate deep into the bowel wall and can present with multiple discontinuous lesions that affect both the small intestine and the large intestine.